An Essay on the French Movie ”the Intouchables”

Intouchables CAD report by Sascha Peters on this movie played in movietheatre lumiere. General information I went to the French movie Intouchables at Lumiere a couple of days ago. It was directed by the duo Olivier Nakache en Eric Toledano. It is a dramatic comedy, based on a real story. The movie was made in 2011 and the lead actors are Philippe (Francois Cluzet) an Driss (Omar Sy) ContentIn Paris, the upper-class and academic Philippe is a quadriplegic millionaire that is interviewing candidates for the position of his caretaker. Out of the blue, the rude African Driss cuts the line of candidates and brings a document from the Social Security and asks Philippe to sign it to prove that he is seeking a job position to receive his unemployment insurance. Philippe challenges Driss and offers a period of adaptation of one week to him to gain experience helping him.Then Driss would decide whether he would like to stay with him or not. Driss accepts the bet and moves to the mansion, chang ing the boring life of Philippe and his employees. The two develop a remarkable friendship. The most important characters in the movie are Driss and Philippe. Driss is a poor black man from the French ghettos in Paris, the Banlieux. He is into Cool and the Gang and music like that. He feels very responsible for his family and in the end this makes him have to give up his nice life.He is not really open-minded towards art and classical music, but in the end he has made his own painting and sold it to a gallery. Philippe is a very rich, quadriplegic man fond of classical music and art. He has got humour but can also be very serious. His wife has died and he now has a young lady from northern France whom he writes poems and letters to. The goal of the directors was to touch people with the beautiful story, but bring it lightly and in a fun way. The main theme is friendship.

Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo

I was in my fourth year high school since I last watch a play. It was about El Filibusterismo, the second novel of Dr. Jose Rizal. I somewhat forgot the story of the two popular novels of Rizal that is why I was so excited to watch the play of the Dulaang UP, Noli me Tangere: The Opera. It was not a usual play compared to the plays I had watched during my high school days. It was not a normal act that the actors/ actresses must play the role assigned to them and say their lines followed in the script. In an opera they needed to execute a dramatic work combining text (libretto) and musical score. It is really difficult to perform in a musical play and also the fact that performing in front of many people is uneasy. But as I watch the play, the characters were comfortable and love what they are doing which I really liked about them. Many years have passed so my knowledge about the novel is very little. But the play gave a better way of telling and understanding the story. So as it came along I have remembered the novel scene by scene and chapters by chapters. The play inspired me in a better appreciation of Rizal’s Noli me Tangere because I truly felt the emotions showcased by the performers. It was full of passion. You will really feel the nationalism being portrayed by the actors in the play. It made me realized the importance and the role of the two novels, Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, in helping the Filipino people to become conscious that the doings of the colonizers were inhumane. It is no doubt that these novels were one of the reasons that boosted and led our heroes to revolt against the Spaniards. It was my first time to watch an opera and it was splendid. Since it was my first, I really watched the play very well. I was truly amazed with the voices of the actors and actresses especially the one who were playing as Maria Clara. I was hook with her voice throughout the play because of its wide range and it was so extreme. The accompaniment made the production complete. It gave the wonderful voices of the young and talented artists to be more powerful and pleasant to hear. It also gave the story more life and made the audience to feel the emotions of the actors. The setting was full of Philippine indigenous materials and the costumes of the performers were made of inabel cloth which created a good connection to the audience. It helped them to sense the past and to think about the cultures, beautiful places, clean surroundings, traditions, customs and beliefs that we have before. The choreography, special props, lightings and sound effects made the production enjoyable to watch, livelier and more intense. Sum it all up, the presentation was truly great. But I know they are still lot of rooms for improvement. They can still make the play to be more interesting and more enjoyable to watch. So if I were to rate the production, five (5) being the highest and one (1) being the lowest, I would give them a four (4).

Network design and simulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Network design and simulation - Essay Example More importantly, it will be analyzed and properly assess to estimate the cost of networking. Study and recommendations for appropriate networking topology based on physical structure of the building. The advantage and disadvantage of such recommended topology. The works include surveys, cabling, server, workstations and network adapter configurations, installation of switches in strategic locations, operating systems, utilities and application software and commissioning. Installation of Microsoft Windows Server 2003 in the Network Server. It is a multipurpose operating system competent of handling a varied set of server roles such as file and print serving functions. In the anticipated expansion it will provide World Wide Web services such as e-mail, terminal, streaming media, remote access and virtual private networking. Dependable, "Windows Server 2003 is the fastest, most reliable, most secure Windows server operating system ever offered by Microsoft. Windows Server 2003"(Microsoft, 2002). It provides IT infrastructure that delivers fundamental value: improved reliability, better availability, and increased scalability. This includes application platforms with built-in traditional application server functionality on top of "extensive operating system capabilities and integrated information worker infrastructure that helps keep business information... This includes application platforms with built-in traditional application server functionality on top of "extensive operating system capabilities and integrated information worker infrastructure that helps keep business information secure and accessible" (Microsoft, 2002). The business will now have a LAN that combines intranets and Internet sites (in the future). This will also increase system security, which is critical in a network. 2. Workstation Operating System Along with the Microsoft Windows 2003 Server, the installation of its Client on every workstation in the network will be implemented. The client also have the same reliability and functionality that would match modern computer applications. 3. Document Processing The installation of Microsoft Office 2003 that includes business solutions such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access. A complete package that would enable worker collaboration, file sharing that would increase workers productivity. Question 3: Comparative Traffic Flow Rates (to use the information I send to you by the "Estimating traffic volumes and patterns) Traffic Volume The proposed network will be divided into understandable segments. Using the White Box approach let us identify the 5 segments of the proposed networks with their estimated usage of various applications : (since the network currently do not have remote access, computations will be base on local traffic only) 1. Accounts a. word processing - 50% b. spreadsheets - 90% c. files- 10% 2. Sales a. word processing - 50% b. spreadsheets - 90% c. files - 10% 3. Service a. word processing -20% b. spreadsheets - 20% c. files- 60% 4. Customer Service a. word processing - 70% b. spreadsheets - 20% c. files - 10% 5.

Law of corporate governance question ( Criminalising corporate Essay

Law of corporate governance question ( Criminalising corporate governance failures is a step too far. Discuss ) - Essay Example To begin with, it was established in Salomon v. Salomon and Co. Ltd that a registered corporation is a legal person, separate from its members. This principle may be referred to as the veil of the incorporation. Therefore, the law will not evade this rule and go behind the separate personality of the corporation to the members.1 So many reason exist for corporate officials to hind behind the veil2; one which is to commit fraud, another many be to â€Å"confuse and conceal†3 But there are exceptions to the rule in Salomon’s Case where the veil is lifted, or pieced and the law disregards the corporate entity and pays regards instead to the economic realities behind the legal facade, that is, where the facts supersede form. The exceptions should however be classified between those provided by statute and those provided by law4 Why must the courts lift the veil of the corporation? The sole reason is because maintaining it will cause many problems to criminalize corporate go vernance failure. ... e personality to the individual members or ignores the separate personality of each company in favour of the economic entity constituted by a group of associated companies†6 The courts have adopted a more generalized approach based of the interest of justice as being the guiding light. Thus, Lord Denning M. R was prepared to lift the veil in Wallersteiner v. Moir7. Instead of relying in the interest of justice approach, the Court of Appeal in Adams v. Cape Industries plc8 had applied the test as stated by Lord Keith in Woolfson v. Strathclyde Regional Council9 that the veil would only be pieced where special circumstances exist indicating that it is a mare facade concealing the true facts. Therefore, there must be some improprietory before a veil can be lifted10 such as fraudulent trading11 or wrongful trading12. Instead of relying in the interest of justice approach, the Court of Appeal in the Adams case had applied the test as stated by Lord Reid in the Scottish case of Woolf son v. Strathclyde Regional Council above, that the veil would only be pieced where special circumstances exist indicating that there is a mere facade concealing the true facts. The case, like Adams concerned the issue as to whether a group of companies ought to be looked upon as a single company for the purposes of instituting legal proceedings. The court’s position is therefore even becoming clearer. There must and forever be some evidence of imporprietory. On the other hand, where the existence of some improprietory cannot be established, the courts will never lift the veil. Therefore, and in such cases, the company cannot be criminalized. This approach was taken by Toulson J in Yukong Line Ltd v. Rendsburg Investment Corporation13. A similar approach was also taken in the case of Ord v.

Comparison of U.S. and Other Healthcare System Assignment

Comparison of U.S. and Other Healthcare System - Assignment Example Government provides insurance through Medicare and Medicaid. Private or government covers the cost of healthcare depending on individual plan. Despite provision of insurance by government and private sector, significant numbers of people in the U.S. remain uninsured. Riegelman and Kirkwood (2014, pp. 217-218) point out that close to 15% of the U.S. population do not have insurance. The study further reveals that, 20 million people in the U.S. will remain uninsured. The delivery services provided by the US healthcare system are dominated by private practice with close to 33% primary care physicians and 66% specialist. The healthcare system of other advanced countries such as Canada and the UK are a bit different. The state of Canada spends close to 10% of the gross domestic product, GDP financed by 30% individual private insurance and 70% government taxes. Canadian state provides insurances for critical and basic services. They are also subsidies services for poor individuals. The similarity between the US and Canadian healthcare system is that both are dominated by private practice. However, the Canadian system has a balance primary care physicians and specialist accounting to 50% each unlike the U.S. healthcare system indicated above (Riegelman & Kirkwood, 2014, p. 218). Canada healthcare system provides a wide range of insurance; both government and private insurance are accessible to the population. The government funds necessities in healthcare and preventive measures with the assurance that all individuals have access. Additionally, private insurers are not permitted by the government to provide insurance for basic medical services. The Canadian government subsidies insurance medical services such as homecare, long-term care and drugs. Private insurers are also allowed to insure such medical services. Additionally, the state keeps the cost down by negotiating the cost of bulk purchases of medical necessitates such as

Witnessign to Jehovah's Witnesses on the Issues of Life and Death Research Paper

Witnessign to Jehovah's Witnesses on the Issues of Life and Death Decisions - Research Paper Example Modern civilization now puts its emphasis on the respect for individuals and this includes the ideas, beliefs and ideologies of a person. For a better world to exist, this would be an ideal notion that everyone might agree with and even advocate. However, there is also the fact to be considered that there are differences among individuals that usually make it difficult for an ideal world to be had. Individuals in a family have different perspectives which usually cause misunderstandings. Likewise, individuals in organizations, fraternities or even churches have this similar problem. No matter how similar people’s beliefs are, there are always points of differences where contradictions among members occur and these should be understood and respected to achieve the old adage, ‘Live and let live.’ This paper will look into the situation of a couple who are faced with a decision considering the medical condition of the young woman as dictated by their beliefs. The wom an suffers from severe pain and abdominal cramps and is found to have ectopic pregnancy. The doctor explains the situation and the remedy and warns the couple that if the woman does not undergo the operation, blood transfusion and other procedures needed to be done, she would die. Being members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the couple believe that the entire procedure is entirely against their beliefs. So, the question of whether they will push through with the procedure to save the young wife’s life or not receive medical attention at all and face the sting of death, is upon their shoulders. The following discussion will offer the possible result of this decision-making the couple is to make. Blood transfusion is one of the major concerns of the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ beliefs and in fact to this day, the most debated among its beliefs. It is believed by critiques that such belief reflects their rejection of modern science and the extreme literalism of their exegesis (Horton, 2006). Witnesses prohibit members from receiving blood transfusions based on Acts 15:20 (Schmidt, 1993) so that in this view, the couple would most likely decline the idea of the operation to save the life of the woman. Spiritual beliefs could be difficult to debate about when such circumstances occur so that the medical team should be as well versed with different belief systems as they are with the technicalities of their profession. With such a weapon, they can try to convince patients to concede to whatever is needed to make an operation successful however; they should also know their limitations and boundaries so as not to desecrate what patients consider important for them. Most physicians with their educational training would desire to save a life and in the aforementioned situation, would like to save the life of the wife. A medical practitioner could probably try to convince the couple by looking closely at their basis for their belief found in Leviticus 1 7:11-14. It can be noted that the scripture prohibits men to eat blood and blood transfusion is not the same as eating. It is the desire of a loving God for His people to live in health and wellness and therefore would want the woman to live healthy and well. The same scripture claims that blood is life (NIV, 2005) that is why blood transfusion is a means of giving life to the patient. In addition, according to James Sire, the Witnesses’ argument about Acts 1520 is based on a false analogy. He agrees that blood transfusion is not the same as eating blood. He even claims that it is far different from intravenous feeding because the blood goes straight to the blood vessels and does not undergo the process food does, passing through the stomach to be processed before being distributed to the different parts of the body through the blood (Schmidt, 1993). One of the reasons that Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse blood transfusion is the fact that there have been those who underwen t blood transfusion

Designing an Observational Situation Research Paper

Designing an Observational Situation - Research Paper Example The teacher should show them the importance of the skill, describe it using a T-chart, establish practice circumstances in which students can utilize the skill and make certain that student get a response on their utilization of skill, and reflect on the way to advance the skill. The teacher should make sure the students keep trying to undertake the skill before it grows to be automatic. Structuring cooperative learning should follow this, so that the students can utilize the classroom and social skills, and the teacher can monitor their undertaking. The teacher should intervene in co-operative learning groups to make sure students are utilizing the skill correctly and see them doing so. The student should then complete questionnaires or checklists to self-identify their mastering of the set skills. In using everyday class activities to establish that students are demonstrating skills and understanding, teachers should have observation checklists or notes; recording things they see a s well as the sort of learning demonstrated. The next step should entail assigning students to set improvement targets for enhancing their competency followed by assessment of student knowledge of learnt skill. The final step should entail reporting on the level of students’ skill to the concerned parties, such as parents and students. B. Issues Anticipated in Conducting the Observation The teacher will generally focus on isolated skills and behaviors without concern for the subsequent and preceding actions, which might offer the meaning and context of the behaviors. Methodological issues can also interfere with the drawing of proper conclusions (Adelman & Walker, 2005). The observation effects can occur, as the students are aware that their behaviors are being observed. The presence of the teacher can change the student’s behavior resulting in reactive effects. The other issue relates to the actual amount of time needed to acquire valid observation duration and the co rrect number of observations needed to acquire valid and reliable results. There is the issue of the appropriate level of the analysis (student, the class, or students in the class) the teacher should use when analyzing observation data. The student may also fail to demonstrate all the required learning outcomes (Koth et al., 2009). The demonstration of a learning outcome may not be demonstrated because the attention of the teacher may be elsewhere and thus fail to notice it. The student can also derive unintentional signal prompts. Students do not perform similar tasks under similar conditions and thus some of the teacher’s judgment of student demonstrations of learning outcomes can be undependable. The teacher’s judgments are also prone and subjective to inconsistencies (Koth et al., 2009). Too much is left to the teacher’s discretion. Subjective judgment may allow the teacher to stereotype students in terms of other characteristics and performances. It may al so allow the possibility of unconscious and conscious bias for or against groups or individuals. C. How to Address the Challenges The teacher can address the learning outcome issue by deliberately prompting learning outcomes. The assessment should be incidental and planned. The teacher should also ensure that the assessment is all-inclusive. Over time, the teacher has numerous opportunities of observing the demonstration o

Communication Plan Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Communication Plan - Case Study Example Reports have suggested that in the US, obesity rates have doubled since the last few decades. Approximately 65% of the overall adult population of the country falls into the category of overweight population. However, the situation is worsening day by day and has now reached an alarming stage. Several techniques have been tried and tested and hardly any of them has impacted or provided the desired results (Haberer 14). Considering this situation, marketers have also tried to utilize the opportunities of the US market. A number of companies involved in manufacturing and marketing of anti obesity drugs have emerged in the market and hence, the industry is becoming quite competitive (McDaniel 14). This report seeks to investigate the external business environment of the US and frame in marketing and communication strategies for the company, Cambridge Sciences Pharmaceuticals (CSP). The company has recently launched weight reducing drug names as Metabical. According to the pilot study ca rried out by the company, the drug is providing effective results. However, industry experts and eminent scholars around the world believes that a good product does not serve the purpose or fulfills the objectives of a firm, rather to get success a good product needs to have the support of good marketing and promotional campaign. The research paper will begin with a context analysis and the frameworks to be put into practice are PESTEL analysis and SWOT analysis. Context Analysis The context in which a business operates is crucial for a number of factors. The context not only influences the business decision of a company, but also plays a vital role in the operations of a firm. Hence, before devising the marketing plan, the study will carry out an in-depth analysis of the context in which the company operates. Apart from that the study will also enumerate SWOT analysis of the company. PESTEL Analysis Pestle is a strategic management tool by which a company analyses the external busi ness environment (Mills 14 -16). It stands for political, legal, environmental, economical, social and technological factors. The analysis is carried out below: - Factor Analysis Verdict Political The political factors of a country include the stability of the government, regulations of the environment, taxation policies, and Competition regulation and consumer protectionism among others. Almost each of these factors impacts the pharmaceutical industry. In the context of US, the government is stable enough and has always supportive to a new business and investments. However, the country is strict when it comes to the compliance of environmental condition. The recent health reforms have however led to an increased pressure on the prices of the products. It is obvious that compliance with the rules and regulation of a country is mandatory for a business, but along the same time it is also necessary that the company encompasses a strong internal policy to guide the operations of the fi rm. It has been found that most of the factors pertaining to the political situation of the country are favorable for doing pharmaceutical business in the country. The only cause of cause of concern is the strict regulation of government towards the maintaining the standard of the drugs and to ensure there are no side effects for consuming it. Therefore considering theses facts it is strongly recommended to the firm that they should ensure that the product maintains the standards and the promotional

Lego Case Study Essay Example for Free

Lego Case Study Essay In this case , LEGO needs a flexible and robust IT infrastructure with business intelligence capabilities that could help management perform better forecasting and planning. So they chose to implement SAPs Supply Chain Management (SCM) , Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), and Enterprise Resoures Planning (ERP) modules. In the ERP module includes the Human Capital Management (HCM) application for personnel administration and development. These features such as â€Å"Talent Manager† as well those for handling employee administration, reporting, and travel and time management. These advanced features allow LEGO’s HR personnel to select the best candidates, schedule their training, and create a stimulus plan to retain them. b. Discussion of why the issue/problem is important for Information Systems discipline? IT infrastructure combine with business intelligence capabilities that could help management perform better forecasting and planning. Depth integration of data mining and information systems, able to establish a new business intelligence system to increase profits and reduce costs. In this case , SAPs ERP-HCM module effectively help LEGO’s manager to select the best candidates. It is also possible to include performance measurements and get a real-time insight into HR trends. So LEGO’s manager able to track employee’s leadership potential, develop their careers, and forecast the recruiting of new employees with certain skills. In life, the data is ubiquitous, and how do we treat and use of data? Data analysis must incorporate with information, less of data analysis, probability of failure for decision-making will climbing. Data analysis is the basis of the Decision Sciences, data analysis tells just a trend, predict a phenomenon. These trends and phenomena will change over time, no one can grasp the long-lasting. Data analysis to grasp the trend, can tell you at different times with different variables can produce different views, and the mode how will correct. This reminds me of a movie, â€Å"Moneyball†, the film based on Michael Lewis’s excellent book about the business of baseball, the basic idea is: Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane turned the baseball industry on its head by using objectivity nd data to help pick a baseball team, instead of subjectivity and gut. It was controversial and not perfect, but he did a pretty good job at it. He broke the conventional method, using historical data and data mining method to build the evaluation model, using low cost to purchase those underrated players. Creating a team has the ability to against the famous New York Yankees. Rely on intuition to make decisions has passed, Now the most important thing is effectively to use data analysis, combining with other disciplines, especially with the combination of information systems. . Identification of who are the key stakeholders and how they are impacted by the issue/problem. LEGO’s CEO and head of HR personnel, they can do this by ERP-HCM to predict and pick the talent they need, and handling employee administration, reporting, and travel and time management. SAP’s business suite supports databases from different vendors, so that abroad managers enable to have direct access to the database system from the company’s various locations. d. What is required for the successful continuation of the new method? SAPsbusiness suite is based on a flexible three-tier client-server architecture. In the first tier, a client interface submits user’s requests. The application servers receive and process clients‘ requests. In turn, these application servers send the processed requests to the database system. Therefore, the link between each layer is necessary. Compatibility between the different databases is also an indispensable factor. Most importantly, data analysis must incorporate with information system. e. Can you think of any other alternatives? SAS Business Intelligence also offers an integrated, robust and flexible presentation layer for the full breadth of SAS Analytics capabilities, including statistics, predictive analytics, data and text mining, forecasting, and optimization – all integrated within the business context for better, faster decision making. OSI Consulting also provide infrastructure strategy and planning services evaluate and prioritize IT optimization options and define a road map of activities that can reduce costs and improve utilization using time-tested methods and best-practice analysis. 2. Answer all the Questions at the end of the case correctly (50) f. Explain the role of the database in SAPsthree-tier system. The third tier database system, This tier keeps data neutral and independent from application servers or business logic. Giving data its own tier also improves scalability and performance. Database plays the role of the terminal server, can be used to store or access data. g. Explain why distributed architectures are flexible. The distributed architectures enables authorized personnel to have direct access to the database system from the company’s various locations. A distributed database is a database that is under the control of a central database management system in which storage devices are not all attached to a common CPU. It may be stored in multiple computers located in the same physical location, or may be dispersed over a network of interconnected computers. Collections of data can be distributed across multiple physical locations. A distributed database can reside on network servers on the Internet, on corporate intranets or extranets, or on other company networks. Replication and distribution of databases improve database performance at end-user worksites. . Identify some of the business intelligence features included in SAPsbusiness software suite. The SCM module includes essential features such as supply chain monitoring and analysis as well as forecasting, planning, and inventory optimization. The PLM module enables managers to optimize development processes and systems. The ERP module includes, among other applications, the Human Capital Management (HCM) application for personnel administration and development. These features such as â€Å"Talent Manager† as well those for handling employee administration, reporting, and travel and time management. These advanced features allow LEGO’s HR personnel to select the best candidates, schedule their training, and create a stimulus plan to retain them. It is also possible to include performance measurements and get a real-time insight into HR trends. LEGO’s manager able to track employee’s leadership potential, develop their careers, and forecast the recruiting of new employees with certain skills. i. What are the main advantages and disadvantages of having multiple databases in a distributed architecture? Explain. The primary advantage of distributed database systems is the ability to share and access data in a reliable and efficient manner. Advantages: Improved scalability Unlike a single-database system, in which the amount of data that can be stored depends on the limitations of one database, a distributed-database system is easily scalable and, therefore, set up for growth. As more sites or regions become part of the Teamcenter Enterprise network, you can expand the database topology to include new databases. With multiple databases, Teamcenter Enterprise data is divided into logical pieces, so that users usually work only with the data that is most applicable to them. Improved performance The majority of database inserts, queries, updates, and deletions are on user data; therefore, a distributed-database environment separates user data from centralized or shared data and stores it locally. Local user databases reduce network traffic and eliminate network bottlenecks on most transactions. Local user databases also distribute the user load in terms of system resources, such as memory. In addition, a distributed-database environment separates the user data from the data related to operational or background processing, which also reduces the amount of local system resources used. Increased availability Because user databases are independent, if one database is unavailable, other databases can continue to work. In a distributed-database environment, selected classes are replicated in other databases when they are created, deleted, or updated. This replication increases availability. By separating data, administrators have more flexibility in determining the frequency and types of backups needed for different types of data. This also increases availability. Disadvantages: Degradation of performance on a small network One user action can cause activity in several databases, some of which may be remote. The additional overhead of these transactions can be a performance penalty when the total amount of data in the network is small. Users also see slower performance when accessing user data that is not local. Increased use of database space The schema of all databases must be the same, that is, every table must exist in every database. Therefore, database space is used for tables that may never be accessed. When the number of tables is very large, the amount of space used this way can be significant. Administrators must use database storage parameters to size tables and reduce database space consumption.

Ethnic Notions Essay Example for Free

Ethnic Notions Essay Ethnic Notions is a documentary directed by Marlon Riggs. The title itself explains what the movie is about-impressions of race. Throughout the documentary, Riggs presents the history of stereotypes and shows how they still exist. In today’s society we have become so accustomed with stereotypes that they are considered normal. The movie Ethnic Notations introduces the problem of stereotypes by explaining their origin and history, giving examples, and showing how they still exist today, so that we are no longer fooled and unaware of stereotyping and racism. During the early and mid 1900’s black people were depicted on television and media as ignorant, ugly, violent and inferior to white people. These negative, degrading and horrible images of black people over time shaped people’s views and thoughts about black people and this was how stereotypes were created. Media used caricatures which are exaggerated representations of people to get racist views across to white and black American people. One example of a caricature is The Sambo. The Sambo was a caricature created to depict the black male as being lazy, child like ignorant and care-free making the black male seem more like a child than a male. Another example of a racist caricature is pickaninnies which are black children. Pickaninnies were depicted as ugly kids with rough wooly hair, big eyes, dark black skin, big mouths and bright red lips. Pickaninnies often resembled animals in children cartoons and were viewed as savage by white people. One of the most popular caricatures of the 1900’s is the mammie caricature. The Mammie was an older black woman who took care of the white man’s family. Mammies were shoed as loving mother figures who were fat black and unattractive. Mammies were created to show that some blacks were happy as slaves and loved black people. These stereotypes were disturbing, degrading and in most cases poor representations of black people. It saddens me how whites could think so low of black people or any other human being at all. Sadly stereotypes still exist today in television, media and society. One stereotype I feel definitely still exist today ids the Sambo stereotype although there are great black actors that play dramatic roles most black men in the media are still shown as being careless and immature. However not all stereotypes today are exactly the same as the caricatures from the 20th century but a new modern version. For example instead of black women being depicted as unattractive mammies on television, they are now ghetto loud and un-lady like. Sometimes I even find myself acting out a stereotype, like being loud or cursing in public. After watching Ethnic Notions I feel like stereotypes are too deeply rooted in Americas culture to ever be completely gone. Although this conclusion is unfortunate I do believe that we could make people believe in stereotypes less and less through media, by depicting blacks in a more positive light.

Marxs Theory of Alienation

Marxs Theory of Alienation In my essay I will attempt to demonstrate that while alienation in many respects seems of only limited use as a concept for understanding contemporary working lives, it has been critical in shaping our current understanding and practices of work. I intend to look at the work of Karl Marx among other sociologists to show how the introduction of capitalism into industrial production in particular developed feelings of alienation in peoples working lives. I have chosen to specifically focus on Marx as I find his thoughts and ideas on alienation to be of key importance in our current understanding of labour. I will principally be looking at his Alienation Theory, which was his belief that our labour in society developed different forms of alienation, and how, if at all, this determines our inherent human being. I plan to assess whether theories on alienation at work are still relevant in modern society, and how they have contributed to our current understanding of contemporary working li ves. Work, in its physical features and its linguistic description is socially constructed; there is no permanent or objective thing called workwhat counts as work cannot be severed from the context within which it exists, and that context necessarily changes through space and time (Grint, 1998, 11). Karl Marx believed labour was at the heart of humanity, and that the conditions under which we work can vary. He felt that alienation was a systemic effect of capitalism which exploited workers and created a sense of isolation in peoples working lives. He believed that under a capitalist regime workers unavoidably lose any control they have over their lives by having the control over their labour taken away from them. According to Marxs Alienation Theory, there are four forms of alienation in labour, the first being alienation from the product of work. Marx states that when a worker is producing something for someone other than themselves, especially when they do not even know who they are producing the item for, the product often becomes alien to them. In this situation the worker will not have any emotional connection with the end product they have created. In this way Marx gives the worker a direct connection to the product, which in turn, alters it from being simply an abstract o bject. Furthermore, Marx suggests that the product, which he believes ought to create a positive connection, instead holds a negative disconnection. According to Marx, when a person works for others and not for themselves they can be seen to be working in an alienating situation simply to receive their basic requirements to get by. Marxs second form of alienation is alienation from the activity of work. This alienation occurs as a result of the worker being alienated from the product they create, as this means they must also be alienated from the process they undertook to make it. Marxs aversion to capitalism is linked to this theory which proposes that as humans are working solely for survival, the work is required of them by others and so not natural. In which case the worker will not be working for themselves but instead for others and so will inevitably become estranged from the process of work. The third form of alienation is alienation from species being, meaning people become detached from their personal creativity and in a sense the heart of humanity. Marx maintains that the activity of work requires workers spiritual energy and therefore when a worker is alienated from the practice of work it is impossible for them to give themselves fully to their work hence becoming alienated from their basic human roots. If the process of labour which is in our innate essence becomes alien to us, then we may become alien to ourselves in some way. Marx attempts to convey that work is something that ought to be a natural instinct to humans, not something carried out purely for survival. He refers to humans as active producers which contradicts the idea of people being alienated from their working lives. When a worker is forced to produce something for others and not for themselves they will see labour purely as a means of survival which will become a burden they are forced to monotonou sly repeat and hence may end up becoming alienated from themselves. The fourth and final form of alienation in Marxs Alienation Theory is alienation from others. When a worker is forced to produce a product for someone else they too will become alien to the worker, and so in this way people become alienated from other humans, which can lead to a breakdown in society. This can give rise to a type of hostility as the worker may feel they are required to do work for others with more cultural capital and so a class division can arise. Marx says of this form of alienation, If man is related to the product of his labor, to his objectified labor, as to an alien, hostile, powerful object independent of him, he is so related that another alien, hostile, powerful man independent of him is the lord of this object. If he is unfree in the relation to his own activity, he is related to it as bonded activity, activity under the domination, coercion, and yoke of another man (Marx, 1844, 57). So, how useful is this theory of alienation as a concept for understanding contemporary working lives? Marx likens humans to animals only doing what we must to survive. In an ideal world we would participate in work for the love of it as we believe it is meaningful and valuable. Marx claims that under capitalist industrial production systems in society people become alienated at work as a result of their loss of control. Capitalism creates a system where by the worker gives more power to the capitalist by producing better products. So it can be seen that the more the worker produces the more they must rely on that product. Marx says, Labour, to be sure, produces marvellous things for the rich, but for the labourer it produces privation. It produces palaces for the wealthy, but hovels for the worker. It produces beauty, but cripples the worker. It replaces work by machines, but it throws part of the workforce back to a barbarous kind of work, while turning others into machines. It produces sophistication, but for the workforce it produces feeble-mindedness and idiocy. (Marx, 1844, 30) The relevance of Marxs theory today seems limited. It is easy to see that at the time of Marxs writing a large contributing factor to alienation at work in the 19th century was the revolutionary form of labour named Fordism, which refers to the production methods used by Henry Ford in creating the Ford cars. C20th Marxist Antonio Gramsci often used the example of Fordism in his work on mass production and consumer culture. Ford was heavily influenced by Frederick Taylor who developed scientific management, and aimed to improve labour productivity. The system was created to improve productivity and enable mass production; it was successful in cutting the cost of production but also heavily deskilled labour. It saw a high turnover rate of staff and prompted numerous strikes due to workers resistance to speed control and oppressive forms of work. It took any control away from the workers by making them work to the pace of the assembly line; on top of this workers rarely got to see what they were making as each worker would be in charge of such a small part of the total creation of the product. Workers often complained the labour was solely about profit motive and their power was completely subsumed by the managers who deskilled the workers to gain control and eliminate their power and decision making. Scientific management so called is an attempt to apply the methods of science to the rapidly increasingly complex problems of the control of labour in rapidly growing capitalist enterprises. It lacks the characteristics of a true science because it assumptions reflect nothing more than the outlook of the capitalist with regard to the conditions of production (Braverman 1974, 86). But work today is far broader than mass production in a factory setting. In her article Alienation and New Work Practises Reconstructing a Classical Concept Amanda Damarin argues, Existing concepts of alienation are inadequate for capturing the relationships among workers, tools, and labour processes that exist in new work organizations. Marx assumes that production is industrial (standardized and fixed), that employers own the means of production, that ownership is coextensive with control, and that only relationships between workers and employers are significant in shaping the experience of work. (Damrin, 2005, 2). One need only think about the growth in the service sector or indeed the health care industry to realize that Marxs Theory of Alienation is deficient in fostering our understanding of contemporary working lives. For example, he focuses principally on the labour form of manufacturing, whereas if we were to look at retail Marxs description of the 4 forms of alienation seems less pertinent. In retail there is no product being created in the shop and so less chance of shop assistants to feel alienated from it. Likewise although they may be selling to others it would never be the case that they would sell to themselves so they are less inclined to feel alienated from their fellow man. They can experience contact with the customers but not feel like they work directly for them so in this way I believe there wouldnt be predominant feelings of isolation. But if Marxs theory about the forms of alienation can take seem less relevant to todays working environment; one cannot ignore the fact tha t work can indeed leave people feeling isolated or powerless. Marx views work as central to the human experience. But why does man work? Looking to Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, we see employment fulfilling level 2 Safety needs but also, beyond that, our need for Love and Belonging can often be met via work. Even people in the most mundane of jobs often look to their co-workers as valuable providers of community. Marx posits that proper work (that is not under a capitalistic regime) also provides people with a sense of self-worth and achievement. But clearly this is true in current day working lives, even in capitalistic economies. Indeed Durkhiem, contrary to the views of Marx and Engels, gave a positive analysis of the industrial society, with less emphasis on capitalism. He spoke of a more heterogeneous society and a more segregated division of labour where people are more dependent on one another. This interdependence he felt brought people together as you have to go to others to receive the necessary products for daily life. So society was v iewed more as a body that functions together as a whole. It is important to remember that Marxs alienation theory was part of his earliest work and possibly an opening thought into his later more developed work on capitalism as an economic structure within society. If it is true, as I believe, that many of Marxs theories have significantly less relevance since advancements made after the industrial revolution, I believe it is equally true that much of his work on alienation has been crucial in shaping our contemporary understanding and practices of work. For example even in todays factory setting, workers are now often asked for their opinions and suggestions to improve conditions at the work place. And with 360 degree feedback becoming the norm in the Western workplace, workers can comment on their managers performance too which gives them a sense of control over their working conditions and allows their voices to be heard. It is not inconceivable to imagine that the introduction of worker voice was aided by Marxs concerns about alienatio n. In fact a highly successful British retailer, John Lewis Partnership, which I worked at for several months, was founded on the principles of total employee ownership with the thought that this would create a direct link to the success of the business. However these improved environments in work places are witnessed predominantly in Western countries; factories in the developing world can be seen to maintain conditions much more akin to that of the 19th century factories in Europe. If one accepts Marxs premise that work is central to humans as a basic form of self realization then it isnt difficult to understand how the loss of employment can be equally isolating. Although people may feel alienated at work Braverman points out unemployment is even more degrading and isolating. In their study, Your Job No Longer Exists! From Experiences of Alienation to Expectations of Resilience Vickers and Parris suggest We have entered the age of the contingent or temporary worker where we are expected to be pliable and tractable; to fit in (Vickers and Parris, 2007, 114). For example, when a worker is fired from their job, there are often associated feelings of rejection and alienation which can be agonizing. They claimed alienated workers tend to experience similar emotions, including powerlessness and social isolation as well as shock, betrayal, humiliation and shame (Blauner 1964, 101). So as working lives are constantly changing and being altered to suit contemporary society the very concepts that Marx used to portray the evils of capitalism may indeed be helpful in understanding reactions to the loss of that central source of self realization, work. I strongly feel although Marxs original ideas about alienation at work appear overly focussed on 19th century working conditions, particularly in the mass production manufacturing world, the concept is not without merit in understanding how contemporary workers may come to feel a sense of isolation or powerlessness via work. Marx may have taken an overly critical view of capitalism but in doing so he no doubt opened the door for a wider recognition of the importance of worker voice and engendering a sense of belonging or value to individual labour. Braverman has voiced his debt to Marxs work on capitalism and alienation at work, and although he has not contributed much in the way of innovative theories on the topic he can be seen to renew Marxs work in modern society. The Managed Heart demonstrates Hochschilds vigorous application of Marxs alienation theory while condemning the feeling of alienation experienced as a result of the comodification of human emotions. However I have to wo nder whether this comodification of feelings directly results in alienation. Both Bolton and Boyd outwardly reject the idea of emotional labour as contending with wage labour as they believe not all peoples feelings are necessarily comodified during the labour process. They argue that workers have a relatively large amount of emotional choice due to the narrow degree that their emotions can be comodified, and therefore wouldnt experience much alienation at work in the sense Hochschild refers to. Overall I believe in many ways alienation appears to be only of limited use as a concept for understanding contemporary working lives; however through the work of such sociologists as Marx it has been essential in moulding our existing understanding and practices of work. Modern society has a much broader spectrum of work than just mass production in factories but with the work of sociologists such as Gramsci and Braverman who have built on existing ideas of alienation by Marx and others we can continually deepen our knowledge and increase our understanding of contemporary working lives. Word Count: 2,847

Racism in the south Essay -- essays research papers fc

Antebellum is defined at Dictionary.com as "Belonging to the period before a war, especially the American Civil War."1 In the Antebellum period in the South, many people owned slaves. In the south, plantations were "the most basic unit and the most vital element of the Southern antebellum economy."2 But at the heart of these plantations were the slaves. So vicariously, the slaves of the South were the most vital part of the Southern economy. Slaves, although taken from Africa, were still able to hold onto their religious traditions and beliefs. They would incorporate their traditions into the Christian belief structure that the south had already setup. They kept their dances, chants, songs, etc. by disguising them into their master's religion, thereby ensuring that it would be passed down from generation to generation. The slaves weren't treated as even close to equals to their masters. Their masters would live in the mansion of the plantation, while the slaves would dwell in recklessly built cabins that were separated from the rest of the plantation. These quarters were where the African American culture began to take shape. They began to be inspired to want what the white man wanted, and what they were denied. Slave labor was handed out by what each slave itself was capable of. If a slave were to finish a job early, he would be able to get the rest of the day off for recreational purposes. Not only that, but if a slave were to finish two jobs in one day, then he would receive the next day off. This day was commonly referred to as a "Holiday." This rewards system created a more competitive edge to work in the fields, making the slave production increase. This also made the slaves more content, and less persuaded to run. On the other hand, there were punishments also. "Exceptional misbehavior also warranted the attention of the slavemaster and his wrath."2 The beatings, whippings, etc. were unpredictable. The beatings didn't need an explanation. It wasn't like the law was going to step in, because it was your property and you could do whatever you wanted with it. It would be like if you were to throw your computer out of a 10-story window. Its your property and you can do whatever you want with it. That was their view on slaves at the time. The plantation owners primarily bought the male... ...s."3 Most slaves worked on plantations, but about 20% of the slave population of the south worked in the cities. They often were only domestics, but they sometimes were tradesmen. Some were sold out to other people for a day or up to several years. Obviously nobody likes to be enslaved, so they did try to slow down the southern economic machine. They would destroy crops, dismantle machinery, slow their work pace, etc. Others went for a more direct approach. They killed or mutilated themselves so that their property value would go down. Thousands of slaves ran away. They would hide in swamps or forests for weeks or months. Some escaped to the north where they would be free. Slavery in the south was the economic heart. The slaves were treated as if they weren't human, and were only property. The Antebellum period in the South was an important period in history. It will never be forgotten. Sources Cited 1 URL: http://www.cc.colorado.edu/Dept/HY/HY243Ruiz/Research/Antebellum.html 2 URL: http://www.dictionary.com/search?q=Antebellum 3 URL: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2956.html Racism in the south Essay -- essays research papers fc Antebellum is defined at Dictionary.com as "Belonging to the period before a war, especially the American Civil War."1 In the Antebellum period in the South, many people owned slaves. In the south, plantations were "the most basic unit and the most vital element of the Southern antebellum economy."2 But at the heart of these plantations were the slaves. So vicariously, the slaves of the South were the most vital part of the Southern economy. Slaves, although taken from Africa, were still able to hold onto their religious traditions and beliefs. They would incorporate their traditions into the Christian belief structure that the south had already setup. They kept their dances, chants, songs, etc. by disguising them into their master's religion, thereby ensuring that it would be passed down from generation to generation. The slaves weren't treated as even close to equals to their masters. Their masters would live in the mansion of the plantation, while the slaves would dwell in recklessly built cabins that were separated from the rest of the plantation. These quarters were where the African American culture began to take shape. They began to be inspired to want what the white man wanted, and what they were denied. Slave labor was handed out by what each slave itself was capable of. If a slave were to finish a job early, he would be able to get the rest of the day off for recreational purposes. Not only that, but if a slave were to finish two jobs in one day, then he would receive the next day off. This day was commonly referred to as a "Holiday." This rewards system created a more competitive edge to work in the fields, making the slave production increase. This also made the slaves more content, and less persuaded to run. On the other hand, there were punishments also. "Exceptional misbehavior also warranted the attention of the slavemaster and his wrath."2 The beatings, whippings, etc. were unpredictable. The beatings didn't need an explanation. It wasn't like the law was going to step in, because it was your property and you could do whatever you wanted with it. It would be like if you were to throw your computer out of a 10-story window. Its your property and you can do whatever you want with it. That was their view on slaves at the time. The plantation owners primarily bought the male... ...s."3 Most slaves worked on plantations, but about 20% of the slave population of the south worked in the cities. They often were only domestics, but they sometimes were tradesmen. Some were sold out to other people for a day or up to several years. Obviously nobody likes to be enslaved, so they did try to slow down the southern economic machine. They would destroy crops, dismantle machinery, slow their work pace, etc. Others went for a more direct approach. They killed or mutilated themselves so that their property value would go down. Thousands of slaves ran away. They would hide in swamps or forests for weeks or months. Some escaped to the north where they would be free. Slavery in the south was the economic heart. The slaves were treated as if they weren't human, and were only property. The Antebellum period in the South was an important period in history. It will never be forgotten. Sources Cited 1 URL: http://www.cc.colorado.edu/Dept/HY/HY243Ruiz/Research/Antebellum.html 2 URL: http://www.dictionary.com/search?q=Antebellum 3 URL: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2956.html

Things Fall Apart - By Chinua Achebe (diverse Cultures Essay) :: essays research papers

"Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe a) Describe in detail your impression of Okonkwo's character having read part one of the novel. b) What is Okonkwo's response to the arrival of the white man, and how does he cope with the changes that come about under the influence of a different culture. c) Describe your own reaction to Okonkwo's actions at the close of the novel. a) Okonkwo is a senior member of the Ibo tribe in Nigeria at the end of the last century. He is an extremely complex character, and in my opinion has two very different sides to his personality. On one hand, Okonkwo is seen as a powerful, respected man, who is well known throughout his home village of Umuofia and beyond. He is a brave fearless warrior, who as a young man had brought great honour to his village by beating Amalinze, and who for seven years had not been beaten "from Umuofia to Mbaino". He is not a man to shy away from conflict or confrontation. He is not a particularly intelligent man, but a man of action, who is more likely to settle an argument through violence than negotiation. He has an impulsive, explosive nature which can often land him in trouble. By nature, he is energetic and hardworking, and has no patience with men that are idle. He is a pillar of the community, and is looked up to by the majority of his clan members for his success and prosperity in life. However, beyond this manly display of strength and fortitude lies a man whose life is dominated by fear, a fear of being considered a failure. The main contribution to this fear is his father Unoka. When talking about Okonkwo, it is hard for Unoka's name not to come up, as he has been such a great influence and contribution to his personality, and the way in which he chooses to live his life. Throughout his life, Unoka had been a lazy, incompetent man, who was regarded as a failure by the majority of his fellow clan members. Unlike Okonkwo, he was a very peaceful, merry man who disliked war and violence. He was also a very emotional man, with a sensitive and reflective nature. When he died, he died having taken no title, and was heavily in debt. Therefore, Okonkwo strives to stamp out any character traits that he sees in himself that remind him of his father.

Prescription Drug Abuse and Addiction

These medications are prescribed by a physician and purchased at a pharmacy to treat cute or chronic pain (Byrne, Lander, & Ferris, 2009). Description Prescription Drug misuse and abuse affects all members of society to include the rich and famous, homemakers, physicians, executives, teachers, the young and the elderly. The fact that the medications are self-administered substances prescribed to treat acute or chronic conditions contributes to the increased Incidence of Dalton (Wolfed, Appear, & DuPont, 2011).There are some factors that affect the rated of prescription drug abuse such as older people and women are less likely to abuse drugs (Weaver, & Jarvis, 2010). However adults that range In age thirty- five to forty-four have the highest drug abuse rates as wells as residences of the Southern and Western regions of the US (CDC, 2008). Rationale Everyday increasing amounts of the patients seek treatment in the emergency departments across the Valley of the Sun. These patients are actively seeking prescription painkillers.Some of the patients have legitimate pain issues but most do not. Many of the high emergency room utilizes are treated in over four different hospital emergency departments per week. Many have been caught altering, or forging prescriptions. Patients give explanations such as their medication was lost, stolen, or the pharmacist did not give the correct amount of drugs for the Increased frequency of the need for refills (Wilfred, Appear, & DuPont, 2011). There are increased incidences of identity theft and patients using aliases to obtain prescriptions.

Use and Importance of Computers in Education

Many technological advances have been made throughout history making life easier, one of which is the computer. Computers have changed the world, as a lot of things can now be done through computers. Computers are everywhere at school, at work, and at home. Many daily activities either involve the use of or depend on information from a computer. Over the past decade, the number of schools with computer and the Internet access has grown exponentially, and the number of children going online from school has followed suit. The first computer Atanasoff Berry Computer (ABC) was developed in 1942. Historians divide the history of the modern computer into generations, beginning with the introduction of the UNIVersal Automatic Compute (UNIVAC), the first commercial computer which was introduced in 1951 (Computer, I40). Professor John Atanasoff and graduate student Clifford berry built the world’s first electronic digital computer which included several innovations such as computing, logical arithmetic and different processing (Lemons, Computer impact on education 2009). Computers mean instant access to information because they affect different aspects of people’s lives, homes and society. Computers have become an integral part of the education as they allow students and teachers access to information, show students real world, help in research projects, and prepare for their jobs. This paper attempts to gather and analyze information about use of the computers in education system. Education is the process of acquiring knowledge. In the traditional model, people learn from other people such as parents, teachers, and employers. Many forms of printed material such as books and manuals are used as learning tools. Today, educators also are turning to computers to assist with education (Discovering of Computer, 32). Many schools and companies equip labs and classrooms with computers. Some schools require students to have a notebook computer or personal digital assistant (PDA) to access the school’s network or Internet wirelessly (Discovering of Computer, 36). Moreover, there are lots of various interactive white boards such as SmartBoard, ActivBoard, Mimeo and Webster. These electronic boards connect with the teacher's computer and can be used in different ways. For instance, if the teacher takes notes on the interactive white board, then it can save those notes and provide them to students who missed class. The teacher can upload them to a school Web site, where that child or a parent can see them. In a graphic way, the teacher can demonstrate what happens when you mix colors, divide numbers or create a virtual science experiment. The board also can provide interactive review games,in which students match the correct answers or fill in the blanks. All of the white board companies have Web site with lesson plans and suggestions. Teachers also find lesson plans by searching the Internet or on teacher forums. These boards are more useful and helpful in interactive teaching method where students can enjoy their learning process. Another way of using computers in the classroom is the use of online research projects, or Web quests. As with interactive white boards, several online sites are available to teachers with hundreds of potential projects for their students. Students are challenged to create utopian societies, time capsules, comic strips or find careers. Simulation is another way to use computers in a classroom context. Simulations provide â€Å"real-life† experiences in many cases, for example: the experience with the stock market or using math in daily life. The virtual field trips bring far-flung places into the classroom. If it is not possible to travel to Colonial Williamsburg, the students can visit websites like history. org instead and watch the actual place virtually. With this sort of virtual learning environment, computers have proven extremely beneficial especially to the kids. In addition, computers with certain speech, audio, and motor limitations also provide a huge benefit to the kids. Kids with special needs can use alternative input and output devices (assistive technologies) to interact with computers and do things that they normally could not accomplish independently. They benefit especially from having access to an on-demand, patient tutor that allows them to work at their own pace. Computers improve both teaching and student achievement. Across the world children have entered a passionate and enduring love affair with the computer. Thus, when used for educational programs, what attracts the children most is not the beauty of or interests in the content being learned, but these are video effects of the computer. It is a great need that children and young people have to learn computers now otherwise they will fall behind in their future search for professional jobs and career. Computers these days have become so easy to use and learn. The online tutorials are becoming so powerful that any one will be able to learn how to use computers very fast at any age. The use of computers will be part of on-the-job training, provided by the enterprises themselves. It is a fact that many adults are afraid of computers, but the person will not be the case with children who were born after the introduction of personal computers. As of today, more than 70 percent of colleges offer some sorts of distance learning classes. Distance learning makes students independent. Not only distance learning, computer based teaching itself is also very important. A meta-analysis of forty-two controlled evaluation studies was conducted to determine the effectiveness of computer-based teaching (CBT) at the secondary level. According to the evaluation, results indicate that programs of computer-assisted and computer-managed instruction raised student examination scores by approximately 0. standard deviations (SDs). Programs using computer-enriched instruction, however, raised examination scores by only 0. 07 SDs in the average study. The effects of CBT on student learning were stronger in studies focusing on disadvantaged students and in studies conducted in recent years. Research is also the part of education system. Research provides more knowledge and ideas about particular subjects. Computers these days are absolutely neces sary throughout the research process. The role of the computer becomes more important when the research is on a large sample. Computers play vital role in data storage and processing. Computers assist the researcher throughout different phases of the research process such as the conceptual phase, design and planning phase, empirical phase, analytic phase and dissemination phase. Computers help with searching the literature, creating a theoretical framework and formulating of hypothesis. In research studies, the preparation and inputting of data is the longest and most time consuming work but the computer helps to do it in comparatively less time. All branches of science, from biology to astronomy to meteorology, use computers to assist them with collecting, analyzing and modeling data. Breakthroughs in surgery, medicine, and treatments often result from scientist’s use of computers. Special software assists graphic designers in developing pages that include text, graphics, and photographs; artists in composing and enhancing songs; filmmakers in creating and editing film; and journalists and mobile users in capturing and modifying video clips. The use of computer-based software tools assist engineers and machinists in manufacturing or prototyping product components. Computers is one of the vital equipment in today's world. To make tomorrow's work force competitive in an increasingly high-tech world, learning computer skills must be a priority. Working with computers particularly using the Internet brings students valuable connections with teachers, other schools and students, and a wide network of professionals around the globe. Those connections spice the school day with a sense of real world relevance, and broaden the educational community. Thus, many people believe that the use of computer in education system is vital to success in today’s world. As technology continues to advance, computers are becoming a part of everyday life. Computers allow people across the world to communicate easily. They have changed the face of society as well. Computers are not only storage devices and processing unit but are also excellent communication media which can make the work easier and efficient in a very short period of time. Business and entertainment uses them to make profits, education uses them to help and educate students better, and the Medical field uses computers in many different ways and other areas. The world would be a dull and primitive place without computer technology. Computers, which have such a wide variety of applications, are indeed ruling society. To keep up the pace in this fast life of today, computer education is extremely important. Computers are an integral part of life and so is computer education. Therefore, computers have changed today’s society a lot in almost all fields, among which the education is one of the notable one. Computers are important in education because they teach to reconsider how people learn and what the nature of learning and useful information is. At this moment, no one can avoid the presence of computers in school as it has become a necessity in a lot of scenarios. The use of computers in education enables each student to tie-in the classroom objectives and make a connection to real-world applications. This emerging computer and the Internet technology give students and the teacher access to a world of knowledge.

Parental Involvement Essay

Abstract   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Parental involvement has always been one of the primary educational concerns. Title I and No Child Left Behind provide a set of basic requirements towards parental involvement in education. Title One Parental Involvement   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Parental involvement has always been one of the primary educational concerns. However, for the first time in history, the notion of parental involvement has acquired official statutory meaning. Title I and No Child Left Behind provide a set of basic requirements towards parental involvement in education.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Under NCLB, parental involvement is defined as â€Å"the participation of parents in regular, two-way, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities† (Hess & Petrilli, 2006). NCLB directly requires that parents are actively involved into assisting their children with their studies, and that parents actively participate in the decision-making activities of various school committees, to facilitate the process of child’s education and learning.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Title I provides a detailed observation of how schools and districts should enhance parental involvement at all levels of the learning process. â€Å"Every district and every school using Title I funds must develop jointly with parents of children participating in Title I programs a written parent involvement policy† (Borman & Stringfield, 2001). The policy should be agreed with parents, and may also be amended to meet the changing educational requirements. Under Title I, parents should be actively engaged into the development and implementation of district parental involvement plans. For the districts using more than $500,000 of Title I funds, at least one percent of these funds hould be spent to develop parent involvement activities. Each Title I school should also develop a parent involvement policy; each school must conduct regular meetings with parents, respond to all parent requests, and ensure that parents are fully aware of all aspects of child education within and beyond the school. A school-parent compact should describe the ways in which the school and parents will join their efforts to improve student achievement (Borman & Stringfield, 2001).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Title I and NCLB have turned parental involvement into the compulsory statutory element of education. Statutory requirements to parental involvement imply that parents and schools agree to share the responsibility to improve student achivement at school. References Borman, G. & Stringfield, S.C. (2001). Title I: Compensatory education at the crossroads. Lawrence Erlbaum. Hess, F.M. & Petrilli, M.J. (2006). No Child Left Behind. Peter Lang Publishing.   

Pressures students face Essay

Imagine sitting in a classroom full of college students. They are from all walks of life. What could possibly be going on in the heads of those students? For instance could it be about the girl or boy that they have a crush on? Maybe they are wondering what they will do after school today? No, most of these students are working jobs to pay bills and tuition for the college they are attending. Also trying to maintain a good grade average which has to be a C or higher. These are some of the pressures that most college students have to face in this time of their lives. First, the pressures to perform academically are one of the primary causes of stress for all students. Most colleges recommend that students maintain a 2. 0 GPA and a C average or better in order to keep the finical aide they received and to pass their semesters. First, coursework can be very demanding. For instance students who want to do their best and excel in school will want to make the top grades and struggle to get into graduate schools places a lot of pressure on them. If a student falls below a C average they will not pass the semester that they are taking and will lose what finical aide that was acquired for them to attend college. So keeping good grades is the main pressure they have to face besides having to pay to go to college. In addition to paying for college is another pressure that a college student has to face every year Students have to make sure there are enough funds for books, classes, supplies, and if so rooms. Many students face financial stresses. Students have to find enough money to pay for their tuition as well as getting enough funds to cover living expenses and traveling expenses back and forth while attending college. Furthermore students that have sufficient funds to pay for college still have to worry about repaying the loans that they have gotten before even graduating from college and joining the work force. Finally, being a full time student and working a full time job can be overwhelming for college students. Taking full time classes and juggling a job puts a lot of pressure on students and leaves little time for them to study and attend classes. Friedrich Nietzsche once quoted That which does not kill us makes us stronger. Meaning that if students can juggle jobs and college that will only make them stronger and better at what they do. Therefore, college students face pressures by trying to work, making sure they maintain good grades and having enough tuition to pay for the college. Students have to face so many pressures going to college this is only a few of them. Being a full time student and working is not an easy job but people who want to get anywhere in their lives have to better their education so they can get better job opportunities. Many students with a lot of pressures just want to give up and quit at times. But as Winston Churchill once quoted Never, never, never give up. They just need to keep trying and no matter what once they graduate and have degree in their hands it will be well worth the pressures they had to endure during college.

Balance Scorecard for Air India

Balance Scorecard for Air India Introduction Air India is the prime and oldest Airline of India. It is the State carrier which currently connects to rest of the world such as the Americas, Asia, Europe, etc. It is headquartered at Nariman Point, Mumbai in the Air India Building. It is the 16th largest Airline in Asia & serves out of two major Domestic hubs in India at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi & CST Terminal, Mumbai. The airline started its journey with the Maiden flight from Karachi Airport to Mumbai Airport via Ahmedabad in July 1932. It was founded by JRD Tata and later on acquired by the State. Air India has two subsidiaries and two affiliated carries. Together Air India, Air India Cargo, Air India Express, Indian and Air India Regional form the National Aviation Company of India Limited. It currently serves 11 countries across the globe apart from the various domestic destinations. Air India Cargo It serves as the cargo operator for the airline serving in conjunction with on ground truck- transportation systems and achieving synergies to increase returns. The carrier also is allowed to carry dangerous (hazardous cargo) & animals under IATA rules. Air India Regional The airline previously known as alliance air serves the interior small airports domestically to serve the needs of such regions with smaller aircrafts. The hub for this is at the IGI airport in Delhi. Indian It focuses on the domestic touch points for the airline. It serves various destinations in the country with two major hubs at Delhi & Mumbai. Air India Express The airline subsidiary was formed in 2005 to serve the low cost space in the South east Asia and the Gulf region. This is a no frills airline which focuses on the low cost travel mind space for its consumers. Tangible Assets Fleet and Material Resources Air India has continuously being trying to improve its Aircraft fleets. It has recently added 17 new aircrafts which include B777’s- Long range aircrafts and it has also procured some 15 n ew airbus aircrafts to serve its domestic destinations. Currently the Air India fleet stands at a strong 136 aircrafts. Air India serves various international destinations such as in the USA which includes Newark, JFK & Chicago with its non-stop Boeing Long range aircrafts. The detailed aircraft distribution is as given in the table below: Network Air India operates from various cities across India like Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Jaipur, Varanasi, Tiruchirapalli, Gaya and Thiruvananthapuram in totality 16 cities for its international location flights. The need of boarding flights from metros for international locations has thus ceased thus providing better opportunities to other cities to develop economically and aid in the country’s growth story. The various requirements in terms of customs, etc. are directly done in these cities. Air India also has code sharing agreements with various airlines across t he world providing better accessibility to other locations. International Hub: Air India has established its international hub at Frankfurt for better transfers and code shares across the world. It has forged partnerships with Lufthansa and is currently vying for being a part of the Star Alliance. These alliances has strengthened AI’s network in the US and Europe to a large extent.

Management Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 2

Management Portfolio - Essay Example While such a person may also be called as a civil engineer, specific term to be used here would e that of a â€Å"project manager.† To clarify, while civil engineer in involved in the making of the above mentioned processes, namely design, construction and maintenance, a project manager is someone who mobilizes the entire workforce and is also responsible for all the action that happens on the work front. Thus, it is the project manager who is responsible for the management of the whole project, mobilizing and compartmentalizing the required workforce, while also looking into other managerial aspects of the project. Now that we are clear on the civil engineering and project manager, it will be easy to imply how the role of effective management makes for an effective project manager. A project manager should possess the set benchmarks qualifying the person as a project manager. Besides, being fully equipped with the information and legislations involved in the making of a project, apart from other features, is what will make a project manager successful in his endeavors to manage the project. There are several management constraints that the project manager requires to handle effectively to make his project a success. These constraints happen to be – time, cost, scope and quality. While scope and quality are closely interlinked, these above mentioned constraints are what a project manager requires to keep a close tab on. in the discussion that will follow below, we will be discussing the major aspects of the management of civil engineering projects, while also looking into various other factors involved like legislations, components of civil management system, quality management, application of effective management in a civil engineering project and so on. With this in mind, we launch ourselves now in the waters of discussion about

Change Plans and Projects with an Organization Essay

Change Plans and Projects with an Organization - Essay Example The first element that should be considered is whether the plan being explored will bring more benefit than problems to the company (Wands, 2001). This might seem a self-evident factor, but at times change plans take on an inertia of their own. Time should be taken to see whether the change is really worth it. The second element will be the influence that the changes will have on the employees of the company, from the lowest entry-level employee to the CEO. As already outlined, such influence is essential to consider. The third element will be to brainstorm possible problems that may occur on implementation and to have contingency plans in place to deal with them. Internal human elements that may force an organization to change are many and varied in nature. First, the retirement or other departure of leading personnel, such as the CEO, a long-term manager or other key personnel, may bring about the need for change. This "forcing" of change should in fact be seen as an opportunity for new ideas, systems and outlooks to be instituted within the company. Another internal element may be dissatisfaction expressed, either individually or as a group, by a large proportion of the employees. External elements, like the internal, are many and... Other external factors may be the availability of workers, maybe locally, but perhaps on the other side of the world, that can offer outsourcing possibilities in order to reduce costs. Thus many IT operations can be handled by offshore, outsourcing options such as the numerous software companies in India. General changes in worker habits outside of the company, including Union activities, may also influence a company to change. As with the internal factors, the changes need should be seen as an opportunity rather than a weakness or necessity. Positive things may come out of apparently negative circumstances. The first task of the leader will be to explain the change in as coherent and sympathetic a manner as possible. It is likely that many employees are largely technically illiterate and so a good degree of coaxing will need to be done. This explanation should not be conducted in a condescending or paternalistic manner, but rather as if the employees were equals within a team. Indeed, this is the way the leader should regard them anyway. Workers who are treated as drones have the natural tendency to act that way. Second, an excellent training program will need to be implemented that will enable all employees to become as efficient as possible on the new technology. One idea would be to have departmental leaders who are trained to train others on the technology. These should not be at the managerial level, but rather be experienced store-level employees who are trusted by the others. This way the employees can 'fail' while learning and not feel the need to hide their failures or not explore the reasons why they have failed. The training program will be developed at the corporate level, but implemented at the

Proposal Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Proposal Argument - Essay Example One of the most controversial debates on the crimes committed in the world today is influenced by movie viewing, and addiction is on gun control among the youths (Spitze 217). The rapid rate of increase in criminal acts is the major reason why almost all countries in the world have to reinforce their internal and external security systems in order to ensure proper security conditions in their countries. Two questions remain to be debated on this issue; first, whether the governments should enact laws to regulate the handling of firearms in each country and secondly, whether the governments or any other formed agency should have the mandate of enforcing these rules and controls the handling of firearms across the globe. Motivated by the same spirit of the need to help straighten the bend that has started appearing in our youths of late, this paper seeks to determine the level of potentiality of the media houses to contribute to the inculcation of this outlawed vice in the young genera tion, mostly college students. This paper will therefore examine the close relationship between the movie industry and the performing art and the various related arrays of crimes that are performed these days in various parts of the world. More significantly, this analysis will be carried out on the youths of the age between fifteen years and thirty years and come up with recommendations on what is suppose to be done in order to minimize or abolish completely this rising vice around the globe. Despite all these attempts to solve the looming security threats, efforts made by various governments have yielded no mentionable success and security threats remain an issue in pursuit. However, it has been noted that most insecurity issues around the world are committed by the young generation most of whom are college students or those fresh from college. Talk about the suicide bombers, the abductors, kidnappers, rappers, the answer lies with the young man or young girl who wakes up every mo rning only to fix his or her eyes on the television always with a dozen of movie collections and a bunch of story books in a coach somewhere in the homes. Suppose you were watching, the seven o’clock news one evening after work together with your innocent son or daughter in his or her usual coach and his or her whole bunch of movie collection besides him or her and you see the police notifying the public about him or her at that moment for alleged danger potentiality. What questions will cross your mind? Will you say he or she is not the one the police are talking about? Alternatively, will you rush to the police that very moment and tell them they are mistaken in their identification and have to apologize? Romer argues that our children are endowed with everything they need to practice violence right from the house; he argues that while these young adults may look innocent before our eyes, they secretly learn these criminal acts behind our back and later on go out to practic e these vices (Romer et al 97). This has been alleged is the tie between crimes committed by most college students and the movie industry. According to Roberts and Doob, the violent movies are the most alleged sources of online lessons conducted in a manner hard to suspect for such criminal engagements. Most people

The Social group to which people belong can influence their health and Essay

The Social group to which people belong can influence their health and their quality of care - Essay Example eals that ethnic minority groups are increasing quickly in number, (this may be attributes to some immigration and to differences in fertility rates) and account for 73 per cent of Britain’s overall population growth. The trend among minority ethnic groups is to concentrate in urban areas, in particular London. The table below, as available from the Office for National Statistics, will help us understand the distribution of the population of UK into different ethnic groups. Research has shown that minority groups suffer from worse health and have also a lower level of health consciousness. The social class to which a person belongs seems to be the overriding factor in determining the level of health he enjoys and the healthcare he receives. Studies underline the differences that exist in the incidence of ill health depending on the social class. It has been noticed that there are higher incidences of infective and parasitic diseases (like pneumonia), violence and poisonings among lower social classes where the victims often even include children. Adults in these classes are more likely to suffer from cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease than Whites belonging to a more affluent class. a. There are a higher proportion of smokers among minority ethnic groups. Due to their social disadvantage there is more likelihood that they have grown up in a household with exposure to tobacco smoke and they become smokers at a very young age. This happens when the brain is still developing and causes irreversible developmental changes. Awareness to the negative effects of nicotine is very low among these groups. b. Health care inequality has been found to be based on ethnicity differences rather on the disparities in religion. The areas in which the study was carried out had a high percentage of Muslim population (53%) mostly of African, Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin. There is clear evidence of higher smoking rates among men in this population and higher

Art review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Art review - Essay Example It is thinly framed, and the present are some sawing that underline the titles. The mere fact of the photo having all these characteristics indicates a Mexican touch and that chili are mostly found in the country. The painting shows a glossary view on chill. It is incorporated with flags of different countries in the world showing growth of chilies in those respective countries. The countries being shown are U.S.A, Kenya, Russia, China, Italy, France, Turkey, India, Vietnam, and Germany. Indicating the various countries and their names would be an indication that chilies are present in those countries could also say that the artist tried to show the origin of chilies. There he also indicated the different forms of chilies in the different countries. The art fascinates many chili eaters. Personally, I think the art is fabulous and is worth it anytime. It is simple and clearly puts the message out. This is an elegant piece of work by Olivero

Econ 336 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Econ 336 - Essay Example However, India was observed to be amid the leading countries to plan a population check but it still failed to attain its objective. The government policies with regard to controlling population have been assessed to be a prime reason behind the success of China and the failure of India. This research paper aims at highlighting the differences in the population policies of both the nations in order to gain a lucid comprehension regarding this definite aspect. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 Literature Review 5 Comparison of the Government Policies of India and China 6 Method of Analysis 9 Analysis 9 Conclusion 12 References 13 Introduction India and China have been identified to be the two countries with the highest population along with their respective cultures being as old as thousand years. Both the countries were regarded as young nations in spite of the huge changes related to death as well as birth rates that the nations were undergoing. This pa rticular aspect is believed to hold serious significance in the present history of demographics. The pace of rise in the overall population of the world has been found to gather speed notably during the previous century. The increasing pace of rising population makes it important to comprehend the various aspects manipulating the population development and the consequences that the growth related to population can have and the way governments need to manage their respective population. As mentioned earlier, China has been measured to have the highest population but the rapid rise in terms of rate related to population in India proposes that it would soon surpass the population of China. It needs to be mentioned in this respect that growth is associated with several ways towards the alterations in the population. The endeavors of the nations especially by India towards development can be stated to have triggered the population growth. Therefore, it has been correctly mentioned that t he rise in population was set free with the help of trimming down the rate of mortality and even migration (Coale, 1983). Literature Review India as well as China have been measured to be the two countries across the world that records population above 1 million. Although the population of China has been gauged to be greater than India, but it has similarly been predicted in this context that the population count in India is supposed to exceed the level of China by the year 2025. There have been witnessed a rapid rise in the population rate which has attributed to the factor of higher birth rates in comparison to the death rates. A desire in the family sizes in India was recorded owing to the economic worth associated with children which has also been a contributing factor for the population rise. It has been stated in this regard that devotion towards children or rather the desire for children in the family is perceived by the Indian families to be a kind of intergenerational shift as children are regarded as significant inputs with regard to the production function in relation to the households which is considered to be competent of generating extra household income (Portner, 2001; Dasgupta, 1995; Cochrane, 1975), emotional incentives (Stecklov, 1997; Weil, 1994) and security in the old age (Ehrlich & Lui, 1991). Children are also predicted to entail the competence of acting as a form of insurance in opposition to the deficits in terms of income

Week 5 - Journal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week 5 - Journal - Assignment Example is a portrayal of the failure of the national government since it shows failure in formulating appropriate laws and creation of appropriate agencies to curtailing the problem that threatens the social order in the country. Among the laws that govern immigration in the country are Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 (United States, 1978). The two have provided an effective system for legal immigrants but have failed in protecting the country against the problem of illegal immigrant. So far, the government has adopted the open but closed border policy in the management of the Mexico-US border. I believe the policy has the ability to enable cross border trade while containing the rising illegal immigrants menace. Prior to this week’s reading, I believed that the government was losing the fight against illegal immigrants. However, after studying some of the policies including the open but closed border policy, I now believe that while the problem is serious, the American government in collaboration with the neighboring governments is striving to seal off the borders thereby curtailing the problem (Krikorian, 2010). United States. (1978).  Illegal immigration and U.S.-Mexican border control: Analysis and recommendations : Critique of administration adjustment of status proposals. Washington: U.S. Govt. Print.

Childrens literature Essay Example for Free

Childrens literature Essay Reading is one of the most important lifelong activities. Young children are connected with reading and books long before they actually know how to read. It starts when a child has the first book in his hand or when parents read to him from a book. It is a wonderful way for young children to spend time together with their parents. The interaction that is going on between a child and parent when they are reading together has some important components. One of them is predictability—as these activities usually occur on a regular schedule and follow a regular pattern of steps. Playfulness is evident as these activities are done for fun. Language is used to construct meaning and share ideas. The child gets opportunities to lead the activity, the parent is modeling language and reading behavior and together they develop their own jargon for many ideas. In this way parents intuitively use the lab method to teach their children about language, print, and books (Daniels, 1994, p. 37). A child understands that a book is connected with something pleasant for him and his important adults, something that makes them feel good. He understands the meaning of the word for an object long before he can say this word. Later he starts to understand that there are pictures and words in books and that they have some meaning. This is first step in developing reading abilities and love towards books. The joy of reading and love of books is crucial for each childs development it is measured not only in school success but also in meaningful social interactions. This has been a decade of technological advances. From iPods to electronic readers children are bombarded with electrical images and stimulations. But the surprising truth is that even with all the advances in electronics and gadgetry, reading to children and having them read is still one of the most important skills to give a child. Reading to a child can promote a child’s cerebral and emotional development. While any positive interaction between parent and child is helpful, reading is always a sure fire way to gain a positive foothold into a child’s life. Books open doors to new ideas, cultures and concepts. By reading to young children a parent helps instill a love of books in children and helps them want to read more. The internet is a great learning resource for children as well as adults but a good reading ability should come first and foremost. Without a strong reading capability a child is unable to use the internet to its full potential. The Parent’s Role in Fostering a Love of Reading A parent is a partner in the life of his or her child. Parents can instill a love of books and delight in wordplay, develop pre-reading skills and help children become accomplished independent readers. Listed below are several ways to incorporate a joy of reading in a child. †¢ Read to the child every day. Start as early as possible. Books on tape can also be utilized. †¢ Sing nursery rhymes and children’s songs. †¢ As early as possible help the children obtain a library card. †¢ Treat books as though they are special. †¢ Give books at Christmas, birthdays and as rewards. †¢ Let the child make picture books by cutting out pictures from magazines or pictures they colored and glue them into homemade books. †¢ Make sure the child sees the parent reading. It doesn’t have to be a book; reading newspapers, magazines, or even the back of a cereal box can provide an example. When reading aloud, read with expression and excitement. †¢ Give the child opportunities to write even if it is unreadable. †¢ Let the child tell a story that the parent writes down. When it is completed let the child illustrate the story. †¢ Let the child pick the story for story time. †¢ Let the child help parents cook following a recipe card or cookbook. Books Help Children Develop Vital Language Skills Reading is an important skill that needs to be developed in children. Not only is it necessary for survival in the world of schools and (later on) universities, but in adult life as well. The ability to learn about new subjects and find helpful information on anything from health problems and consumer protection to more academic research into science or the arts depends on the ability to read. The more children read, the better they become at reading. Its as simple as that. The more enjoyable the things they read are, the more theyll stick with them and develop the reading skills that theyll need for full access to information in their adult lives. Reading should be viewed as a pleasurable activity as a source of entertaining tales and useful and interesting factual information. The more young children are read to, the greater their interest in mastering reading. Reading out loud exposes children to proper grammar and phrasing. It enhances the development of their spoken language skills, their ability to express themselves verbally. Reading, by way of books, magazines or websites, exposes kids to new vocabulary. Even when they dont understand every new word, they absorb something from the context that may deepen their understanding of it the next time the word is encountered. When parents read aloud to children, the children also hear correct pronunciation as they see the words on the page, even if they cant yet read the words on their own. Reading Can Open Up New Worlds and Enrich Childrens Lives As mentioned above, reading opens doors doors to factual information about any subject on earth, practical or theoretical. Given the wealth of available resources such as Internet, libraries, schools and bookstores, if children can read well and if they see reading as a source of information, then for the rest of their lives they will have access to all of the accumulated knowledge of mankind, access to all of the great minds and ideas of the past and present. It truly is magic ! Through books, children can also learn about people and places from other parts of the world, improving their understanding of and concern for all of humanity. This, in turn, contributes towards our sense that we truly live in a global village and may help us bring about a more peaceful future for everyone. This can happen through nonfiction but, perhaps even more importantly, reading novels that are set in other places and time periods can give children a deeper understanding of others through identification with individual characters and their plights. Through stories and novels children can vicariously try out new experiences and test new ideas, with no negative consequences in their real lives. They can meet characters who theyll enjoy returning to for comforting and satisfying visits when they reread a cherished book or discover a sequel. Books also give kids the opportunity to flex their critical thinking skills in such areas as problem solving, the concepts of cause and effect, conflict resolution, and acceptance of responsibility for ones actions. Mysteries allow children to follow clues to their logical conclusions and to try to outguess the author. Even for very young children, a simple story with a repetitive refrain or a simple mystery to solve gives a confidence boost. Children can predict the patterns and successfully solve the riddles. Children are influenced by and imitate the world around them. While a steady diet of violent cartoons may have a detrimental effect on childrens development, carefully chosen stories and books can have a positive influence on children, sensitizing them to the needs of others. For example, books can encourage children to be more cooperative, to share with others, to be kind to animals, or to respect the natural environment. Reading Can Enhance Childrens Social Skills  Although reading is thought of as the quintessential solitary activity, in certain circumstances reading can be a socializing activity. For example, a parent or grandparent reading a story aloud, whether from a traditional printed book or from an ebook, can be a great opportunity for adult and child to share some quiet, relaxed quality time together away from the rush and stresses of the business of daily living. They share a few minutes of precious time, plus they share the ideas that are contained in the story. In addition, older children can be encouraged to read aloud to younger ones as a means of enhancing their relationship. At school or at a library story hour, books can bring children together and can be part of a positive shared experience. For some preschoolers this may be their primary opportunity to socialize and to learn how to behave around other children or how to sit quietly for a group activity. Make the most of this experience by encouraging children to talk about what theyve read or heard. Reading Can Improve Hand-Eye Coordination  It may sound funny, but ebooks can be a way for children to improve their fine motor skills and their hand-eye coordination, as they click around a childfriendly website or click the backward and forward buttons of online story pages. They may also be picking up valuable computer skills that theyll need in school and later in life. Reading Can Provide Children with Plenty of Good, Clean Fun Ive saved the most important point for last. Reading can provide children with endless hours of fun and entertainment. All of the pragmatic reasons above arent at all necessary to justify readings place in childrens lives. Stories can free up imaginations and open up exciting new worlds of fantasy or reality. They allow children to dream and may give them a good start on the road to viewing reading as a lifelong source of pleasure; so read to your young children every day. Inspire your older children to read. Give them access to plenty of reading material that theyll enjoy and discuss it with them. Sample everything traditional printed books and ebooks on Internet, classic childrens novels and fairy tales, as well as more modern stories. If a child wants to hear the same story over and over again, dont worry about it. Children take comfort from the familiarity and predictability of a beloved story that they know by heart. Theres no harm in that. Reread old favorites and, at the same time, introduce your children to new stories. Your childs mind and heart have room for both. So Reading Really Does Matter After All There are so many ways in which reading continues to be both a vital skill for children to master, and an important source of knowledge and pleasure that can last a lifetime. Nurture it in your children. Make the most of all the resources that are available and waiting for you: printed books, online books, magazines and so forth. Encourage follow-up activities involving creative writing skills and the arts, as well, so that your children can reflect upon or expand on what theyve absorbed and, at the same time, develop their own creativity. As you help your kids appreciate the magic of reading, youll find that theres a whole wonderful world full of childrens literature out there that you  can enjoy too.